Ireland's Genealogical Gazette (October 2016)

ISSN 1649-7937

Cumann Geinealais na hÉireann “Cuimhnigí ar Ár Sinnsir—Remember Our Ancestors”

Ireland’s Genealogical Gazette (incorporating “The Genie Gazette”) Vol. 11 No. 10

www.familyhistory.ie

Deireadh Fómhair : October 2016

Family History Month The wonderfully effective American initiative of designating the month of October each year as ‘Family History Month’ has certainly taken hold on this side of the Atlantic over the past few years.

The biggest event in the Irish genealogical calendar is the annual ‘Back to Our Past’ event at the RDS in Dublin from October 21st to 23rd with nearly every major genealogical service company now with stands at the show.

This Society will have a stand at the RDS which has proven to be extremely popular with visitors to the show. Eddie Gahan and his team will be on hand to assist with all sorts of genealogical queries and problems.

Also at the show this year, Ed Gilbert, a PhD student at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) will deliver a talk on the ‘Irish DNA Atlas Project’ at the Genetic Genealogy Ireland series of lectures. The project is an academic collaboration between this Society and the RCSI which has two main objectives (1) to further our understanding of the population history of Ireland and (2) to help us understand how genes influence disease within Ireland.

The project’s criteria and methodologies are quite unique as participants, all volunteers, must have all of their eight great grandparents from the same general area of Ireland. The aim is to gather scientific data on the population of the island of Ireland before the largescale internal migration of the latter part of the 19th century.

It is anticipated that the results of this hugely important project will be published towards the

GENEALOGY HERALDRY VEXILLOLOGY SOCIAL HISTORY Heritage Matters Book Reviews Open Meetings News & Events VOLUNTEERS

end of the year or in the spring of 2017. The findings are eagerly awaited by genetic genealogists, medieval historians, archaeologists and academics from many other disciplines.

The extensive list of exhibitors and indeed, the line-up of excellent speakers for the various talks and seminars, is very impressive indeed.

So, if you’re attending the show, please do drop by the GSI stand to meet the GSI team.

OPEN MEETINGS Dún Laoghaire Further Education Institute Cumberland Street, Dún Laoghaire Tuesday 11 October—20.00hrs Tuesday 8 November—20.00hrs _______________________________________________________________________

The Society’s Director of the Outreach Programme, Eddie Gahan, wish to sincerely thank all the volunteers who helped on Culture Night at the DLR Lexicon.

Eddie is now planning for BTOP 2016 at the RDS, Dublin 21-23 October 2016. The GSI will have a stand again this year. It is always very busy with many visitors seeking family history advice.

If you would like to help out this year, please contact Eddie by email on eddie_gahan_snr@hotmail.com Checkout: www.backtoourpast.ie

In this issue…….

• • • • • • • •

Dublin 1950-1970 GSI in Georgia James Scannell Reports Free Genealogy Courses GSI Lecture Programme Wicklow in Revolt Labour in Kingstown Précis of Sept. Lecture

Royal Marine Hotel Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire Wednesday 26 October—10.30hrs Wednesday 23 November—10.30hrs Contribution €3.00 p.p.

‘Twice Built’ - On Sale €12.00

@GenSocIreland

(including Tea/Coffee at the Morning Meeting)

Monthly Newsletter of the Genealogical Society of Ireland

2 YOUR FAMILY HISTORY?

GSI in Georgia

If you are thinking of starting your family history research and just don’t know where to start, don’t despair as Eddie and his team are on hand to show you the ropes.

Whilst the Society does not undertake commercial research assignments, it does provide research advice to enable you to take a D.I.Y. approach to your research.

See page 4 of this newsletter for the times of opening of the Society’s Archive and Research Centre. Also, please note that they will be on-hand at Back to Our Past in the RDS again this year.

For the fourth year in a row the Genealogical Society of Ireland has, once again, represented Ireland at a major international conference dealing with flags and heraldry.

Eddie Gahan and his Team ready to discuss your Family History Research

Dublin 1950-1970—Houses, Flats and High-Rise Most people undertaking family history in Ireland today from Dublin would have grown up, started working or college or, indeed, moved into a new home in period covered by the latest volume in the series ‘The Making of Dublin City’ edited by Joseph Brady, Ruth McManus and Anngret Simms.

‘Dublin 1950-1970—Houses, Flats and High Rise’ (ISBN: 978-1-84682-624-5 : 464pp : 100pp+ b+w illustrations: P/bk : Price €29.95 : web-price €26.95 : H/bk €55.00) by Joseph Brady and published by Four Cour ts Pr ess is an exceptionally well researched and wonderfully presented work that is essential reading for all local or social historians with an interest in Dublin and its environs. This indepth study includes much of the areas now covered, since 1994, by the four “Dublin Local Authorities” - Fingal, South Dublin, Dublin City and Dún Laoghaire Rathdown.

This period was one of rapid expansion in the housing stock of the capital and, as a generally “low density” city, the surrounding villages and small towns were gradually transformed or incorporated into new suburban districts of housing estates, both social and private. Hundreds of local areas, so familiar to us today, had their origins in this period. New communities were established during this period, many of which, endure to this day. The author, as a geographer, provides both the framework for the expansion of the housing stock and also profiles the demographic and economic drivers for these developments. Ireland was changing rapidly, some would argue with justification that, during this period “modernity” had finally arrived. The industrialisation that had commenced in the 1960s had changed the economic trajectory of the country and by the end of the period covered by this book, Ireland was well on its way to joining the European Economic Community, the forerunner of the European Union, which it joined in 1973.

This volume is of exceptional importance as it chronicles a period of Dublin’s history that, for many readers, is within their own lifetimes or that our their parents. In that respect, as a social narrative, this book is not only a history of modern Dublin, it is the story of the ordinary Dubliners and their communities. It is extremely well illustrated, with copious notes and with details on individual housing estates, roads and their dates of construction, it is bound to have a very personal appeal for many.

FOUR COURTS PRESS Irish History, Genealogy, Local History and much more. Checkout the new catalogue and the special offers at www.fourcourtspress.ie

Society News in Brief Corporate Governance: The Board of Directors of the Society at its meeting of October 6th 2016 adopted a new governing instrument for the Society (an incorporated body) in accordance with the Companies Act, 2014.

Members authorised the formulation and adoption of a ‘Constitution’ by the Board at the Annual General Meeting held on March 8th 2016. This ‘Constitution’ is a simplified ‘onepage’ replacement for the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Company which were adopted on incorporation in 2000.

The Society will retain its status as a ‘Company Limited by Guarantee’ under the Companies Act, 2014.

Archive Catalogue: The Dir ector of Ar chival Services, Lua Ó Scolaí, has sourced an archive program that will be uploaded to the Society’s website in the coming weeks.

This facility will allow visitors to the Society’s website to search the catalogue of the holdings in An Daonchartlann—the Society’s Archive and Research Centre at the Carlisle Pier, Dún Laoghaire. The holdings can then be easily accessed by visiting An Daonchartlann.

Outreach Programme: The Director of the Outreach Programme, Eddie Gahan, has presented the Board with a list of voluntary organisations and groups that have requested the Society to give talks or provide a stand at an event.

The geographic spread of the venues is very encouraging, however, Eddie is planning to roll out the Outreach Programme strategically to minimise costs and to ensure that as many venues as possible can be included over the coming months.

Organisations, clubs and groups interested in Society’s Outreach Programme—please contact Eddie on eddie_gahan_snr@hotmail.com Annual Journal: The Director of Internet Services, Sales and Marketing, and Publications, Tom Conlon, is seeking ar ticles for the 2017 issue of the Society’s Annual Journal.

The articles may be on any aspect of genealogical research undertaken by the author and could include, biographies, family histories, accounts of historic events or archival resources. Help is on hand for layout and editing, so if you are interested in providing a piece for publication please contact Tom at web@familyhistory.ie

The CEO of the two branches, Heraldry Ireland and Vexillology Ireland, Stan Zamyatin was pr esent in Tbilisi for the 1st Georgian National Conference of Vexillology and Heraldry (29 September - 1 October). While there he gave an important paper entitled “The Irish Harp – Then and Now” which provided at outline on the history and evolution of the harp in Irish iconography from the 9thcentury to the present day.

The Irish representation in Georgia was symbolic in two ways: Firstly, in 2016 our two countries are celebrating their 20th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and many initiatives have already taken place this year. Secondly the main royal family to rule Georgia was the House of Bagrationi which has historically depicted a harp on its coat of arms.

The conference was a great success and our Georgian colleagues were very hospitable. The many presentations and trip to a number of historic Georgian sights all provided for a well -organized, balanced and academic event. It was inspiring to see the work that the Georgian State Council of Heraldry has already accomplished.

We are very honoured to have received a personal invitation to attend from the Chief Herald of Georgia, Mr. Mamuka Gongadze (pictured above with Stan) and we are very grateful to the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council for providing financial assistance to be present in Tbilisi, the spectacularly beautiful capital city of the Republic of Georgia.

Stan is confident that the Society will be able to return the favour and invite our Georgian friends to attend the ICV 29 Congress in 2021 which we hope to host in Dún Laoghaire Rathdown.

This trip was an essential part of the networking and canvassing votes for the ICV in London in 2017 where a vote will be taken on the location of the 2021 Congress.

Monthly Newsletter of the Genealogical Society of Ireland

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In Brief….

GSI MEMBERSHIP Join this Society on-line at www.familyhistory.ie Please note that GSI Membership is open to all interested in genealogy and related subjects. Discounted membership rates are available for those under 25 years and students at recognised genealogy courses.

PARKING AT DFEI Car-parking facilities at the Dún Laoghaire Further Education Institute. The most convenient option is to use public transport. Dublin Bus nos. 7, 7A, 46A and 75 all serve the college or streets adjacent to the college—Lower George’s Street, York Road, Clarence Street. The DART (suburban rail) services to Salthill & Monkstown. On street car-parking is usually available in the area also. Members are asked to consider ‘car pooling’ for each month’s open meeting. For details on the Institute and its courses please checkout www.dfei.ie

DISCOUNTS Exclusive discounts for the Members of the Society are available for online genealogical services and publications, including, Findmypast, Irish Newspaper Archives, Forces War Records and from Flatcapsandbonnets.com. To avail of any of these Member discounts, please contact Barry O’Connor, FGSI, by email at membership@familyhistory.ie

FREE GMNMOPQRS CQTUVM WQU BMRXNNMUV Location: Blanchardstown Library Duration: 8 weeks Lecture: Expert Researcher, Fiona Fitzsimons. Starting October 18th 2016 & Concluding December 13th 2016. Class will take place every Tuesday from 18.45hrs – 20.00hrs. This is a free class for audit, i.e. for enjoyment. There won’t be any homework or grading of exercises given. We will workshop throughout the course, and access the online sites.

The course will provide support for all participants to construct a simple family history portfolio, including: · Creating a family profile. · Research to collect documentary evidence. · Building a family tree. · Writing a simple report. Contact: 01 890 5563 or email blanchlib@fingal.ie for more details and to book your place now.

Note: Class won't take place on the week of the mid-terms (week starting Monday October 31st)

Inside the Society’s Archive & Research Centre in Dún Laoghaire

JAMES SCANNELL REPORTS...

BRAY CUALANN At 20.00hrs on Thursday 20 October Lorraine Kennedy Stephens will present her lecture ‘Bill Stephens, the Fairview Lion Tamer, and his Bray connections’ to the Bray Cualann Historical Society in the Royal Hotel, Main Street, Bray, Co. Wicklow. All Welcome – Visitors €5. The lecture will tell the remarkable story of lion tamer Bill Stephens who used to walk his lions on a lead through Fairview Park, recall the occasion when one of his escaped lions prowled the streets of 1950s Fairview, and his unfortunate later demise.

THE OLD DUBLIN SOCIETY At 18.00hrs on Wednesday 12 October Dr. Lisa Marie Griffith and Dr. Ciarán Wallace will present their lecture ‘Buried in the Archives: Funeral Undertakers in Dublin,1750 to 2000’ in the Conference Room of Dublin City Library & Archive, 138 – 144, Pearse Street, Dublin 2. All welcome – admission free. In this lecture Brian Siggins, a former Programme Secretary and a current member of the Council of the Old Dublin Society will recall numerous people he met and events he took part in over this period. All welcome – admission free. At 18.00hrs on Wednesday 26 October, Henry Fairbrother will present his lecture ‘The British Army Presence in Dublin’ in the Conference Room of Dublin City Library & Archive, Dublin 2. All welcome – admission free. The lecture will look at how members of the British Army in Dublin interacted with the local community where they lived in Dublin and how they spent their off duty hours.

KINGSTOWN 1816–1916 Tom Conlon, MGSI, will present his lecture ‘100 Years of division in Kingstown, 1816-1916 ’at 20.00hrs on Tuesday 18 October to the Foxrock Local History Club in the Foxrock Parish Pastoral Centre at the rere Foxrock R.C. Church, Foxrock, Co. Dublin. Éanna de Búrca will give a short talk on ‘Frongoch.’ All welcome – admission €5.00

BATTLE OF THE SOMME

www.eneclann.ie

At 15.00hrs on Sunday 25 September Lar Joye will present his lecture ‘Five months of failure: the Battle of the Somme and the 10th Royal Dublin Fusiliers’ in the Museum of Decorative Arts and History, Collins

Barracks, Benburb Street, Dublin 7. Admission is free, however, places allocated on a first-come basis.

1916 STORIES At 20.00hrs on Wednesday 19 October Lar Joyne will present his lecture ‘Bomnshell and Bullet Holes; stories of 1916’ to the Dún Laoghaire Borough Historical Society in the Royal Marine Hotel, Dún Laoghaire. All welcome – admission €3.50.

SIR WILLIAM ORPEN At 20.00 0hrs on Thursday 13 October Dr. Róisin Kennedy , will present her lecture ‘A Dissenting Eye: The Art of William Orpen.’ to the Kilmacud-Stillorgan Local History Society in Glenalbyn Sports Club, Stillorgan.

GSI LECTURE PROGRAMME Tues. Oct 11th ‘Easter 1916 – Rising or Civil War’ by Mal Murray; Tues. Nov 8th ‘Tracing Irish Police Ancestors’ by Jim Herlihy; Tues Dec 13th ‘The evolution of the Irish harp emblem’ by Stanislav Zamyatin The Board is currently organising the speakers for the coming year. Forward any suggestions for topics or speakers by email to Tony O’Hara, Director of the Society’s Lecture Programme at toharadsl@gmail.com

MILITARY HISTORY SOCIETY OF IRELAND Lectures: Fr iday 14th October —’General John Nicholson: Imperial psychopath or defender of the Raj? by Professor Dónal McCracken. Friday 4th November— ’Nothing venture nothing have’: Art Mac Murchadha Caomhánach at war with Richard II, 1394 and 1399’ by Dr. Darren McGettigan (see www.fourcourtspress.ie for new book on this topic by Dr. McGettigan) Friday 2nd December—’The Easter Rising and the beginnings of modern irregular warfare’ by Professor Timothy D. Hoyt. All lectures are held at 20.00hrs at Griffith College, South Circular Road, Dublin 8.

(Wheelchair access available). Non-members are welcome to attend all lectures.

TRACING YOUR IRISH ANCESTORS

by John Grenham, MA, MAPGI, FIGRS, FGSI The Society strongly recommends to anyone embarking on their family history quest that one essential piece of kit must be, without doubt, a copy of the latest edition of ‘Tracing Your Irish Ancestors’. Please checkout the website www.gillmacmillan.com Price €22.99 [RRP].

Monthly Newsletter of the Genealogical Society of Ireland

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Wicklow in Revolt—1913 to 1923 ‘Wicklow in Revolt – A History of County Wicklow from 1913-1923’, edited by Henry Cairns, published by the Old Bray Society, price €25.00 This is a very comprehensive overview of the eventful and over reaching occurrences that took place in Co. Wicklow during the decade 19131923 consisting of essays provided by several local historians.

Eva O’Cathaoir in the opening chapter ‘The Fenian Movement in County Wicklow’ provides a history of the Irish Republican Brother in the county including the principal individuals in the county and some of the events and activities they engaged in. Given that many members of the I.R.B. ultimately rose to prominence in the Irish Volunteers, the history of that movement is covered by Henry Cairns in ‘The Irish Volunteers in Wicklow. Needing arms, the Irish Volunteers engaged in gun-running operations and Dr. Ruan O’Donnell looks at ‘Arming the Volunteers: The Kilcoole Gun-running in Context’, an event that took place at Kilcoole, Co. Wicklow, a week after the landing of arms at Howth , with an additional contribution by Henry Cairns looking at some of the local I.R.B. members who participated in this operation.

What happened in Arklow is covered in ‘Arklow’s 1916-1923 Experience’ by Jim Rees in which he recalls the numerous events that took in that town during this period while John Finlay contributes a corresponding chapter on ‘Wicklow through the Troubles.’ Henry Cairns also looks at the impact of ‘The Rising and County Wicklow’, ‘Reorganisation 1917’, ‘The Call to Arms’, ‘January 1921 to the Truce’ and ‘Civil War.’ There are several Appendices covering: The Wicklow Roll of Honour, Some Weapons and Equipment used in Ireland from 1916 to 1923, Some Memories of the Republican Courts in County Wicklow, The Structure of Local Government in County Wicklow up to 1921, Members of the R.I.C. from County Wicklow or serving in County Wicklow who were Killed or Wounded during the Period 1916 to 1921, Return of Officers, Warrant Officers, N.C.Os and Men stationed at Bray, 2nd Eastern Division, Some Intelligence Activities in the Brigade Area, John Redmond’s Speech at Woodenbridge and Select Bibliography.

This excellent comprehensive book begins with the formation of the Irish Volunteers and concludes with the Civil War in which former comrades became bitter enemies and is an excellent chronicle of this eventful decade in County Wicklow with a vast amount of information crammed into its 235 A4 sized pages This is a limited edition publication and over the counter copies can be obtained from The Town Hall Bookshop, 23 Florence Road, Bray, Co. Wicklow, and finally, to quote a well-known retailer – “when they’re gone, they’re gone”.

James Scannell Checkout the Society’s website www.familyhistory.ie

Labour in Kingstown, 1890-1920 Another new publication by a member of the Society explores a much neglected aspect of the social history of Dún Laoghaire, formally Kingstown. The story of the working class and the development of labour movements in the three decades before independence has only been briefly referenced or, indeed, entirely overlooked in most local history publications. ‘Labour in Kingstown, 1890-1920’ by Charles Callan is an extremely well researched series of essays based on the available archival material and on contemporary newspaper reports dealing with organised labour, political movements, industrial disputes and the general conditions of workers and their families. The political history of Kingstown from 1890 to 1920 is explored as is the early political wrangling over social housing that seems oddly familiar today.

The author describes this work as “an account of labour affairs as recorded in the public press and in some official records” and much of this research was undertaken in the Society’s Archive and Research Centre. This excellent work was published privately and therefore, all enquiries should be sent to chascallan@gmail.com

Précis of the September Lecture On Tuesfay Sept. 13th the topic was ‘Linking Genealogy and Social History’ by Billy Saunderson. In his Lecture, GSI member Billy, highlighted the opportunity that genealogical research offers to also explore and record the social surroundings of families in past times.

Billy used his own research of his Saunderson and Nyhan families as examples of information unearthed. Historical maps of villages and country town lands can be explored to identify farm sizes, proximity of neighbours and other activities such as local pounds where stray and seized animals may have been held. Billy encouraged the audience when searching church and civil records to also record instances where family members may have acted as witnesses or sponsors at the birth, marriage or death of friends and neighbours. School records also represent a great source of information on localities and families. He presented the data he had accumulated on a number of members of his family and told how members of his family still resident in their home town land were able to identify with very strong family friendships and connections that still exist in present times. He stressed that curiosity was a great attribute for

genealogical and social history researchers and presented a number of pieces of significant information on his family which would have been lost to history had he not followed up on vague references to events, contacts from people offering family information and other leads. Much of the social history discovered has been recorded and made available to local interest groups. The lecture was followed by an informative question and answer session.

IRISH DNA ATLAS The Irish DNA Atlas is collaborative academic project undertaken by Prof. Gianpiero Cavalleri and Edmund Gilbert, PhD student, of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and Séamus O’Reilly, Michael Merrigan, Dr. Darren McGettigan from the Genealogical Society of Ireland.

The main objectives of the project are 1) to further our understanding of the population history of Ireland, and 2) to help us understand how genes influence disease within Ireland.

Contact Séamus O’Reilly, FGSI by e-mail on Irish.dna@familyhistory.ie Please checkout the project newsletter on the GSI website.

IRELAND’S GENEALOGICAL GAZETTE is published by the

Genealogical Society of Ireland Limited 11, Desmond Avenue, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, A96 AD76, Ireland E-mail: GAZETTE@familyhistory.ie Charity Ref: CHY 10672 : CRO: 334884 The Society is a Nominating Body for Seanad Éireann (Irish Senate)

Board of Directors 2016-2017 Gerry Hayden (Cathaoirleach : Chairperson); Tony O’Hara (L eas-Chathaoirleach : Vice-Chairperson, Lecture Programme); Michael Merrigan (General Secretary, Company Secretary, ‘Gazette’ Editor, RF:Oifigeach na Gaeilge, Vexillological and Heraldic Services, and Irish DNA Atlas); Billy Saunderson (Finance and pro tem An Daonchartlann Foundation, Philanthropy); Eddie Gahan (Outreach Programme, GSI Exhibitions); Tom Conlon (Internet Services, Sales and Marketing, and the Annual Journal); Barry O’Connor (M em bership Services & Cem etery Projects); Séamus Moriarty (Building and Utilities, Health and Safety Officer); Anne Brophy (Social Inclusion, Diaspora Affairs, GSI Social Club); Lua Ó Scolaí (A rchival Services, R F:- Education Services) [Note: ‘RF’ signifies a ‘reporting function’ for a NonExecutive Officer].

INDEX TO TEN VOLUMES The “Gazette” is Ireland’s longest running monthly genealogical newsletter and it is read by thousands each month around the world. All the past issues of this newsletter and its predecessor back to 1996 have been fully indexed by Brendan Hall, MGSI and they ar e available in pdf format to read or to download free of charge on www.familyhistory.ie Although we’re not members of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), the team at the “Gazette” always endeavour to operate in accordance with the NUJ Code of Conduct www.nuj.org.uk/ about/nuj-code/ and in line with the 'National Policy Statement on Ensuring Research Integrity in Ireland' which was endorsed by the Genealogical Society of Ireland back in June 2014 soon after its launch at the Royal Irish Academy. (see the June 2014 issue at www.familyhistory.ie)

FREE RESEARCH ADVICE An Daonchartlann, the Society’s Archive and Research Centre at the historic Carlisle Pier in Dún Laoghaire is open, as per the Society’s autumn/winter schedule, for two days a week as follows: each Wednesday from 10.30hrs to 16.30hrs and each Saturday from 14.00hrs to 17.00hrs.

With around twelve hours of archival time available each week new volunteers are always needed and very welcome. Our Members are on hand to provide free family history research advice.

The use of our extensive archival resources is reserved for fully paid-up GSI members, however, day research membership is available for €5.00 and payable on-line at the GSI website.

Resources freely available to Members include a number of excellent pay-for-view websites including Ancestry.com, Findmypast, Forces War Records, Newspapers.com, British Newspaper Archives and Irish Newspaper Archives.

Travelling to the facility is best by public transport as both Dublin Bus (nos. 7, 7A, 8, 46A and 75) and the DART (suburban rail) are nearby.

Please note: Pay-and-Display Parking is available at the Harbour. See: www.familyhistory.ie

Monthly Newsletter of the Genealogical Society of Ireland